My daring new paint color

I mentioned in passing last week that I’ve FINALLY started work on the mud room redo. It’s been a long time coming! Even though I’ve been SO ready to makeover this space, it’s a little bittersweet since this was the first redo I ever shared on my blog. (Oddly enough, almost exactly five years ago.) Sniff.

Back then the yellow and black was fun and different and wow…BRIGHT. I dug it. But when we moved the washer and dryer downstairs last year this room became a dedicated mudroom (halleluiah!) and I grew tired of the in yo face yellow.

I’m now on a mission to transform this into a more functional space. So I started with some paint and trim removal. Since I was painting I went ahead and removed the trim I had installed along the top – it’s going anyway:

Ignore the paint samples that have been up for three years. :) And wow, the yellow looks neon in these pics. It wasn’t THAT bright.

I also removed the trim around both doors in the room and the random piece that was above the utility closet:

That one strip of trim has always made me shake my head. Just one across the top – so sad and lonely.

To remove the trim I scored the caulked areas first and then used a small pry bar to pull it off:

My Dad gave me that little one awhile back and I use it all the time. I have a larger pry bar for bigger jobs too, but this tiny one works great for stuff like this.

The next phase was twofold – we had someone come in and remove a few things that I just couldn’t. We took out the big 220 volt plug for the dryer (but left the electrical in case we ever sell and the homeowners want to move everything back up), removed the dryer vent (just the part sticking out of the wall) and turned the gas nozzle that went to the dryer so it wasn’t sticking out of the wall anymore. (That line is no longer working, it was removed and run to our dryer in the basement instead.) All this had to be done so I can eventually build the built ins right there.

And yes, we had the 220 volt and a gas line – the builder installed the electrical not realizing we were doing gas everywhere (they did the same for the stove that was supposed to be gas.) I realized the mistake early enough that it wasn’t a big deal, but we ended up with a big plug we didn’t need. Another reason you need to be on-site as much as possible when building!

Anyway…they took care of all of that stuff that was over my head and then I was able to paint! I think you may be surprised with my color choice – I’ve had it in mind for awhile and I am already really excited about it.

Are you ready for this??

I went WHITE:

;) Dramatic I KNOW. And no it’s not primer, the walls will be white. Bear with me for a minute. And those holes in the walls will be covered, so ignore.

I decided a long time ago that I wanted to do a little something different in here – instead of white on the beadboard (which is staying) and color on the walls, I wanted to flip it. So the color will be on the beadboard, and then art on the walls. I’m REALLY excited about it.

I used a Dutch Boy color called Stone Arrowhead that I picked up at True Value. The location I visit has a HUGE paint selection:

I used the Dutch Boy before to paint my office ceiling and was really pleased with it. Covering the yellow took a couple coats which didn’t surprise me – it was a saturated color.

Here’s the thing – EVERY white I’ve ever used in my house has been an off-the-shelf white. Every single one. People ask what the color white I use and I’m all…uhhh, white? :) Just go to the paint aisle and pick up a can of whatever finish you need (just make sure it’s not one that needs to be tinted, it will say on the can.)

This time I didn’t want it to be pure white – I wanted a little depth to it. This Stone color has definite gray undertones (but it’s not “dirty” look – it’s a bright color) that will work well with the new color for the beadboard. I hope anyway. ;)

I’m already so thrilled with the change I can’t even tell you. It felt SO GOOD to cover up the yellow. :) It’s so bright and clean looking!:

You can see here how only half of the room has beadboard. When I installed it the washer and dryer were still there and I was too lazy to move them. So five years later I’m going to finish it up.

And yes, I painted the whole room – even the spots that will eventually be covered up, just because I wanted a really clean slate for awhile. It’s been a mess of black, yellow and white for years now (I never painted behind the w/d either):

It’s how I do. ;)

Check out the difference!

HUGE right? I seriously love it. I’ll be ready for color soon I know, but for now I’m so totally happy with it. (And check out how small our little Nya kitty was in the before and Colby is the same size in the after.)

I had to share a little thing I had the electrician do – he added an outlet up higher on the wall so I’ll be able to keep the dust buster plugged in and out of the way:

It will eventually sit on either a shelf or in a cabinet – haven’t decided just yet. But it will be awesome to be able to charge stuff up there. It’s the little things right??

It’s just the start but my vision is finally starting to come together. I can’t wait to keep moving in this space! Next up will be new flooring, installing the new trim around all the doors, and then finishing up the beadboard. Then I start building. YAY!

Have you ever painted a room white? Could you do it? I was surprised at how much I liked it, but I know I’ll need color back soon enough.

I was one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program as well as writing about my experience. I have also been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY project. However, my opinions are entirely my own, I would have done this project anyway and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.